The Window To The Soul - June 07, 2015
Participants Nara Ban Inuzuka Villi The Window To The Soul Guest_RandAltork: *Villi sat at the small wooden table in the kitchen of his house. While he was looking out the window he couldn't see anything, instead he listened to the rain hit the roads, roofs, windows and the umbrella of the old lady walking past the house. He sighed as he dangled a strip of jerky over his Ninken Liioco's nose "I don't think I've ever heard or smelt a sunny day in my life" The moment Liioco jumped up for the jerky Villi opened his hand letting it drop. "It's hard to ignore such a constant drumming noise" he stretched for a moment, yawning loudly as he felt his back click a bit "Well, no missions today boy, may as well go for a walk though". Villi stood up from the table, whistling for Liioco to follow him as he walked to his room. He grabbed his headband that he left hanging just next to his bed before turning back and going to the front door. He was already clad in his usual black hoodie, cargo pants and leather arm guards. He wore no shoes over his calloused feet making him look scruffier than he was. As he walked out the door his lifted back his long brown hair and tied his headband so that it covered his eyes before letting his hair dropped back to its messy state. The duo wandered down the street, following the smells and sounds of the Village's main market street, "We have some money from that last mission, maybe we can buy some cool stuff" they stayed under cover as much as they could to avoid the heavy rain though it was inevitable that they would get wet. After a ten minute walk up and down hills and through alleyways they reached the start of the Market street stretch. Villi's heightened senses were overwhelmed causing him to briefly lose his bearings before quickly recovering himself. "Louder than usual today, and they are really going crazy with the cooking" Liioco growled in agreement as they started going from store to store, browsing and occasionally causing a ruckus before being chased out of the store. Until something else arose this was their day's plan.* Kare: - The day was as wet as it usually was, perhaps even more wet, but this was the norm in Amegakure and not many bothered to question this. A young boy by the name of Ban sat along the edge of an apartment building, glancing down at the civilians wandering around the streets from above. He wondered to himself what each of them were thinking to themselves, but the typical villager within Amegakure would certainly always be thinking about living to see another day, obeying the laws and making enough money during the day to feed their families. The thoughts flowed out of his mind and back into reality he was. - "Urg, this rain is really beginning to bother me. When will it stop? Not anytime soon." - He said to himself and then rose up to his feet. Ban wasn't wearing his typical outfit he usually wear, but instead was wearing something of more rarity. Ban wore a black cotton tank top underneath a black wool turtle neck sweater and over that he wore a black high collar trench coat. The insides of the trench coat is laced with the same wool used to fabricate the sweater. He was a fan of wool because of its ability to keep him nice and warm all day long, although the warmth could be rendered null if the wool were to get wet enough to soak every inch of the fabric. He wore black pants that were made of a fabric that seemed to be a blend of fleece and denim. The pants were also taper to be closer to the skin below the knees and baggier above. Ban wore all black combat boots that came halfway up his calves. His combat boots were steel plated over the area covering the toes to protect them from any sort of heavy impact. Over his mouth, Ban wore a rebreather that was made with two large vents that would open up and release gas or any liquid that would clog up the system. The one thing never forgot to bring with him were his goggles, which he kept on, and his forehead protector, which was required of him. Since the rain was exceptionally heavy today, Ban left his apartment with his straw hat that he made himself a while back with his mother. The straw hat was crafted with a layer of hide underneath to prevent any liquid from seeping down and wetting Ban's dreadlocks and with strips of hemp fabric dangling around the rim to cloak his eyes from those trying to take a peek at him; these strips were also used to give Ban a sense of the direction the wind was traveling. On his back, Ban carried a small and compact backpack that contained his equipment and a small scroll which contain a couple of emergency tools to reduce clutter in his bag. He leapt from rooftop to rooftop without any destination in mind, but that didn't bother him, he just let his body guide him. Eventually he would come to a stop after a couple of minutes, simply because there weren't any more rooftops to leap onto. Ban had reached the Market District. He scanned the area for a moment, hoping to see any familiar or interesting faces and just off into the distance, he spotted a male figure with a headband wrapped around his eyes and a dog walking closely beside him. - "I'm certain that isn't Unaru because he has two ninken, so who is this guy?" - He thought to himself and leapt down onto the street and began to tail the stranger. Ban kept about ten yards behind the individual and paid close attention to the dog. - Guest_RandAltork: *Villi and Liioco kept wandering down the street. They soon stopped in front of a small antique store and peered through the window, old wooden decorations were visible including a large grandfather clock. They soon started moving again, Liioco's ears twitched and he turned his head briefly before looking forward again. "Hmm? Ahh, alright then" Villi spoke quietly after Liioco told him of the trailing stranger "How long? Good" Villi seemed to tilt his head downward and at a slight angle now, as he focused more on his hearing then his sense of smell. For a brief moment time seemed to slow as a very rough image of the surroundings formed in his mind. He guessed the rough distance and assumed it was close enough that they would be able to see a hand signal or two. He raised his hand, masking it as a stretch before pointing his Index finger towards a small Barbeque Restaurant that only had a few customers. The two soon darted off slipping into the mass of shoppers and other pedestrians. Liioco split off and looped around so that he was now 10ft behind the stranger while still staying concealed amongst the crowd. Villi arrived at the Restaurant and leant against the wall, this area of the market was a lot less crowded which made it a lot easier for Villi to theoretically see what was happening on the street, to him the street was a long road with big rectangles blocking it off, he could pinpoint the locations of most things including Liioco and the stranger. One of the cooks leant out the window and shook his head before asking if Villi wanted the usual "Yeah, you know the drill, still bleeding" as the cook walked off Villi yawned and began kicking water up with bare feet. Liioco was making sure to keep his distance, hiding under clothing that was on display or crawling under any stands that people had out. In a way this was their way of training for tracking down targets in the future. "Hmm I wonder, I wonder, Liioco said he felt rather impressive but nothing jounin tier as far as he knew"* Kare: - Ban continued to trail behind the individual and his dog, but when they stopped in front of an antique furniture store, Ban would swiftly blend in with a crowd of people that were browsing the selection of well-crafted umbrellas, a few of them were obviously weaponized. The moment the two stepped back from the store and began to walk off again, Ban would wait for a minute and resume trailing them. He was careful not to get too close, but to not fall too behind. Ban kept his attention on the dog and from the corner of his eye noticed the male “stretching” and then make a sharp left turn towards what seemed to be a restaurant from the strong smell of beef ramen. Ban didn’t let his break his concentration and followed the dog that turned to the right and circled around Ban. Ban would begin to slow down as he reached the point where both of them split up and would weave a set of hand seals; Dog → Boar → Ram. His entire figure would morph and change to that of a small child, no taller than three feet and five inches, in a slightly oversized olive green raincoat with the hood on that would cast a shadow over his face and bright yellow rain boots that would squeak with every step, and then decide to turn towards the restaurant. He knew attempting to flank the dog and catch him by surprise would be pointless; Ban knows that dogs have a sense of smell that surpasses that of a human, even in the rain. As Ban walked through the open doors of the restaurant, he stopped at the center of the restaurant and scanned the area to get a better understanding of his surroundings. About two yards from the entrance was a long counter with a couple of stools placed in front of the counter for customers to walk in and sit down. To the left and right were about four round tables with four chairs positioned around the table. The restaurant wasn’t as busy as it is used to being, but there were half a dozen plus one customers in the restaurant, excluding the male and Ban. Ban noticed the male standing at the counter finishing an order with the chef and an empty stool beside him. Ban would walk up to the stool and flick his head back, causing the large hood to slide off and gracefully fall into its resting position. Ban would place his tiny hands on the seat and then climb up onto the stool and exhale as if he just ran up a couple of flights of stairs. Ban sat there, barely being able to extend his hands onto the counter and he kicked his feet back and forth, letting his feet bang against the counter. The male would wander over towards the entrance of the restaurant and begin to kick at the puddle of water that formed due to the heavy rain. The chef would wander up to Ban in his child form. – “Hi there little guy! What would you like? Would you like a fried beef dumpling?” “No mister. I want a bowl of vegetable ramen with egg, sunny side up, and a side order rice balls wrapped with soy bean wrap, not seaweed. Seaweed tastes funny, heh. Can I get some green tea too?” “Well aren’t you a smart little guy! Your order is coming right up!” – The chef wandered to the kitchen, passing through a curtain of beads that clashed together and rang the small chimes that hung along the bottom. Ban would turn in his stool and look towards the male. – “Hey mister! Are you a shinobi? My brother is a shinobi too! Heh.” – Guest_RandAltork: *Villi hardly reacted as the small child took a seat next to him. While the boy ordered Villi let out a low whistle and not much longer afterwards Liioco would come bounding through the doors and hop up onto the seat on the other side of Villi. Liioco eyed the child carefully and barked once before yawning and sitting back as he waited "Mhmm extra rare for you I know I know" he scratched Liioco behind the ear and listened to Boy order his food. He was about to turn and face Liioco when the boy began speaking "Hmm?" he spun on his chair slightly and leant on the bench, if his eyes were visible he'd be looking directly at the child. Villi remained silent for a moment, his nose seemed to twitch and he appeared to be thinking to himself. With a shrug he gave a nod "Yeah, Whose your brother? You don't smell as young as you sound, and for a voice like that you structured your sentence pretty well" As he spoke the chef place two dishes in front of Villi, on one was a large barely cooked steak, in the other was a noodle based dish with large chunks of Rarely cooked beef and no vegetables. Liioco placed his front paws on the counter and began ripping into the steak as Villi reached into his bowl and picked out a chunk of beef, he placed it in his mouth and began chewing before turning his head back at the child. Liioco eventually dropped down off the chair taking the steak with him and began tearing it apart on the ground, Villi frowned "Liioco you better clean that up. So kid" he looked back again "Who are you?"* Kare: - "What do you mean I don't smell as young as I sound? Oh, my brother is Banana! He's so cool! I bet he can beat you and your dog up! Just like he did his teammate, heh." - Ban would gaze up at the blindfolded male and if he was able to see Ban's face, he would see his rather cocky smirk on Ban's little baby face. Ban would stick his tongue out at the male and then glance over at the waiter that passed through the curtain of beads with the male's order. He rose up slightly and glanced over that the bowl layered with barely cooked chunks of beef and made of face of disgust. - "Bleh! Yucky!" - He said and the waiter came out with his order, carefully resting it in front of Ban with a cheerful smile on his face. - "Mister! Mister! Can I get a fortune cookie? Heh." "Sure you can!" - The waiter was reach down under the counter, probably to a box of fortune cookies and gently place on the tray where Ban's food was. Ban would reach over to grab his chopsticks and would split them, and then rub them together to get rid of any stray splits of wood. He would poke the yolk of the egg and then begin to stir and stir the noodles making sure everything was blended and balanced, and then would begin to slurp up the noodles. - "Mmmmmm!" - He continued to slurp up the noodles and then the male would scold his dog, Liioco, for making a mess on the floor with the steak and then turn to as Ban a question. He chomped down on the noodles he held captive in his mouth and then slurped up the strays. - "Oh me? I'm Olivo, like olive, but instead of the e there is an o." - He said in a humorous tone and pointed to his raincoat; Ban knew he couldn't see was he was pointing to, but he pointed anyways. - "So who are you? Mister shinobi? Heh." - Guest_RandAltork: *Villi raised an eyebrow when the kid made a sound of disgust "What you don't like meat?" he reached over to Liioco's plate and wiped some of the blood up with his finger before put the finger in his mouth. He laughed and went back to eating his own meal, he didn't use any chopsticks, instead using his finger to pick out chunks of beef before slurping the noodles and soup down. "Banana? He already sounds like an idiot" Liioco yipped in agreement as he finished his meal. "Well ... Young kids have a distinct smell, they haven't been alive as long so dirt and such from the environment hasn't seeped into their skin as much. You however smell like you've been around hmmm, if I had to guess. Maybe 14 years, your Body Odor is changing slightly yet you sound like you are 9 ... roughly. The nose knows" he tapped his nose and grinned "Olivio huh? Seems like your parents don't like meat. My name is Villi" he stacked his plates on top of each other before burping and turning to face the kid "Also, kids don't consistently call people mister, maybe once or twice but it's not common in their speech pattern unless they are high class, you do not smell high class. In fact you probably need a shower, more so than Liioco" At that comment Liioco growled "Ahh you know you smell, you spent all morning rolling in the garden, idiot" He shrugged "So, what clan to belong to ... Olive" he placed emphasis on the word Olive. He repositioned the headband slightly as it had slipped while he was eating "hmm?"* Kare: - "Well his name isn't Banana, that's what I call him, heh." - Ban returned to slurp on his noodles and would finished the ramen just as the male finished his. As the male began to talk again, Ban would grab hold of one of the rice balls and begin to nibble on it, savoring the taste. - "You've got a strong nose, mister. My name's Olivo not Olivio, heh." - He chuckled a bit and continued to nibble on the rice ball. - "You don't need to be a fancy pant to show respect, heh. Atleast I don't smell like a wet dog, heh." - This time he was laughing and it was loud enough for everyone to hear, but he didn't care. He would pop the rest of the rice ball into his mouth and take a sip of his green tea to ease it down. - "I'm from the Sarutobi clan, heh, but I don't know any jutsu yet. I know what clan you're from because of your war paint and your fangs, heh, woof woof." - Ban sat there eating the last of the rice balls swung his feet back and forth, letting them bang against the counter. He would hum the tone of a children's song while bouncing around in his stool. - Guest_RandAltork:*"Hmm fair enough, at least his parents aren't that mean, guy must get bullied a fair bit" Villi leaned over the bench and drummed on the wood facing the kitchen "YO CHEF, Leg bone and a kebab of the finest Rare beef" A distant call of acknowledgement came from the inner workings of the kitchen. Villi leant back and Liioco was clearly pleased by this order. "So kid, Olivo, Theres a difference between showing respect, and kissing ass. But maybe your parents like manners. However. You being a Sarutobi was a lie, clear as daylight, heard it in your voice" He grinned and made a clicking noise causing Liioco to bark loudly "He agrees" the chef brought Villi's next order, as he passed the bone down to Liioco, Villi began chewing on the kebab, the juices running down his hand onto the bandages covering his hands "So. What clan are you REALLY?" Villi sounded confident, absolutely sure of himself, however on the inside he knew he was bluffing, he wasn't that good at pointing out lies just yet but as long as the kid didn't know that then bluff should work. "And if I was anyone else I might take that as insult, but i'm eating, i don't wanna get covered in blood at the moment y'know and Liioco is full" he grinned before laughing softly. "But seriously who are you?" his voice imeddiately went deadpan when he asked the question.* Kare: - Ban would chuckle as Villi called him out on his lie, although he has been lying to him this entire time. Ban thought to himself for a moment, letting Villi talk as he listened and watched him chow down on the beef kebab. As he watched the juices of the meat begin to flow out from the flesh of the meat as Villi sunk his teeth into it and tore it from the stick, he would weave the a hand seal; Half Tiger, and then his body would be engulfed in a sudden cloud of white smoke. It would only take a couple of seconds for the smoke to dim and reveal that Olivo wasn't actually a real person, but it was Ban hidden behind the Transformation Jutsu. He sat there with his straw hat resting over his backpack and the rice ball in his hand, he couldn't eat it at the moment because of the rebreather over his mouth. - "I'm Ban. Unfortunately for you, I'm not going to tell you my clan because of my own reasons. If you want to find out, you'll just have to spar with me or test your luck with the officials, my sensei and or teammates." - Ban would pull down his rebreather, open his mouth a bit and toss in the rice ball. He would chew on it a bit and just chug the remainder of his tea to ease the process of breaking down the rice ball. Once it was down his throat he reached over for the fortune cookie whilst reaching into this pocket to pull out enough money to pay for his meal and a little extra for the chef and the waiter. - "I'll be heading towards the Training Grounds if you want to tussle." - Ban would slide off of the stool and reach back to grip his straw hat and bring it up over his hair; If Villi could see in any form, he would notice that Ban's hair is dreaded and held up in a ponytail. Ban would slowly walk up to the only exit of the restaurant and pause for a moment, just to see if Villi was going to say anything or tag along with him. Guest_RandAltork:*Villi had a moment of silent cheering "Fuckin' knew it" he mumbled under his breath as Ban reversed his transformation jutsu. Villi finished the last of the meat and began using the stick to remove anything from between his teeth. "There were a few inconsistencies, but yeah that was a solid transformation, not bad" Villi licked his lips and tilted his head "Ahhh how rude, I'd do the same but yeah you called us out on it before" he grinned and stood up as Ban did the same, placing some money on the counter to pay for his and Liioco's meals. "You asking for a fight you got one, We need to stretch our legs y'know, get the blood flowing" Liioco barked and ran past Villi and out on to the street "Yeah yeah, we'll get a bit mental just don't run off, aight?" Villi followed Ban towards the door and pushed him out when he paused "Come on I might be blind but I know my way out of a restaurant. let's go let's go time to tussle" as he left the restaurant he untied the hand band from around his eyes and rubbed them. If Ban paid attention he'd see a complete lack of pupils and irises due to large thick cataracts in his eyes. He tied the headband back around his eyes "Still not used to covering them, feels weird to me still" he wasn't talking to anyone in particular. "So, Liioco is telling me that your chakra smells pretty .... hmm? refined. What rank are you?" he walked a few meters to the side of Ban, always looking forward even if talking, occasionally his nose would twitch or he'd tilt his head in a certain direction.* Kare: - Ban didn't react in any way towards what Villi was saying, he simply got up, paid his meal and walked towards the door. As he stood there wait just a bit, Villi came up from behind and with a bit of force pushed him outside. He didn't react in an aggressive manner, but instead he turned to face Villi, taking note of what he had said just now and paying close attention to him as he removed his forehead protector from his eyes and the emptiness of his eyes let Ban know that he was truly blind. - "I don't know exactly what your dog "smells" but I'm a genin, I graduated before you did." - Ban would follow Villi, making sure to stay to his side and a bit behind him. He noted that his sense of smell was more refined than Unaru's, which most likely has to do with the fact that he is blind. Together the three wandered the streets of Amegakure and headed towards the Training Grounds where they would test one another to see who was mightier than the other. - Results Ban, Villi and Liioco all meet. The three head to the Training Grounds to prep for a sparring session.